George E. Stone
Encyclopedia
George E. Stone was a Polish-born American character actor
in movies, radio, and television.
' Tenderloin
, speaking in a pleasant, slightly nasal tenor. Stone was then typecast in streetwise roles, often playing a Runyonesque mobster or a gangland boss's assistant. He was best known as Rico Bandello's right-hand man Otero in the gangster classic Little Caesar
(1931). He adopted a dapper pencil moustache for these screen roles. One of his most famous appearances was in the classic musical 42nd Street
(1933), in which wiseguy Stone assesses a promiscuous chorus girl: "She only said no once, and then she didn't hear the question!" His one starring film (as George E. Stone) was Universal Pictures
' gangster comedy The Big Brain.
In 1939 comedy producer Hal Roach
hired Stone for his film The Housekeeper's Daughter
. It was a difficult role: Stone had to play a mentally retarded murderer in a sweet, sympathetic manner. Stone went clean-shaven, emphasizing a boyish, innocent look, and played the part so sensitively that Roach often cast him in other films. In 1942 Stone burlesqued Hirohito
in Roach's wartime comedy The Devil with Hitler
.
George E. Stone's most familiar role was "The Runt," loyal sidekick to adventurous ex-criminal Boston Blackie
in Columbia Pictures
' action-comedies. Stone was supposed to co-star with Chester Morris
in the first film of the series, Meet Boston Blackie
, but was sidelined by a virus. Actor Charles Wagenheim filled in for him, and Stone joined the series in the second entry, Confessions of Boston Blackie
. Stone's performances in the Blackies were well received, and he enthusiastically played scenes for laughs (doing dialects, disguising in women's clothes, posing as a child, or reacting in wide-eyed amazement or frustration to each story's twists and turns). Both Chester Morris and George E. Stone reprised their screen roles for one year in the Boston Blackie radio series.
In the 1942 film Little Tokyo, U.S.A.
he played the Japanese agent, Kingoro.
Even in his smallest roles, Stone made an impression. In the 1945 newspaper-themed feature Midnight Manhunt
, he plays a murder victim who doesn't say a word but expires eloquently. Another tiny role has Stone contributing to the perennial holiday favorite Miracle on 34th Street
-- but not in the film. He appears in the coming-attractions trailer, as an openly cynical screenwriter confronted by a bossy movie producer.
George E. Stone made guest appearances in movies and television through the 1950s, in situation comedies (Burns and Allen
) and action-adventure shows (Adventures of Superman
, as mob leader "Big George"). When it came to playing tough guys, Stone could be just as convincing as the biggest, brawniest men. In the feature film The Man with the Golden Arm
, Stone is the vindictive mobster who has been cheated at cards, and attacks dealer Frank Sinatra
in a brutal fistfight.
Stone's vision deteriorated in the late 1950s, limiting him to walk-on roles or undemanding character parts. He plays nervous stool pigeon "Toothpick Charlie" in Billy Wilder's comedy hit Some Like It Hot
, and became a TV regular in the popular Perry Mason
series, in the minor role of court clerk.
One of Stone's closest friends was reporter-humorist Damon Runyon
. Stone often appeared in movie adaptations of Runyon's work; his last film, Pocketful of Miracles
(1961), cast Stone as a blind beggar.
For his contributions to motion pictures, Stone received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
.
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
in movies, radio, and television.
Career
Stone's slight build and very expressive face first attracted attention in 1927, in the popular silent-film romance Seventh Heaven (Stone played the local guttersnipe, The Sewer Rat). Originally billed as Georgie Stone, he made a successful transition to talking pictures in Warner Bros.Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
' Tenderloin
Tenderloin (film)
Tenderloin is a crime film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Dolores Costello. It was produced and released by Warner Brothers. Tenderloin is considered a lost film, with no prints currently known to exist.-Cast:...
, speaking in a pleasant, slightly nasal tenor. Stone was then typecast in streetwise roles, often playing a Runyonesque mobster or a gangland boss's assistant. He was best known as Rico Bandello's right-hand man Otero in the gangster classic Little Caesar
Little Caesar (film)
Little Caesar is a 1931 Warner Bros. Pre-Code crime film. It tells the story of a hoodlum who ascends the ranks of organized crime until he reaches its upper echelons. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy, the film stars Edward G. Robinson and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.. The story was adapted by Francis Edward...
(1931). He adopted a dapper pencil moustache for these screen roles. One of his most famous appearances was in the classic musical 42nd Street
42nd Street (film)
-Cast:*Warner Baxter as Julian Marsh, director*Bebe Daniels as Dorothy Brock, star*George Brent as Pat Denning, Dorothy's old vaudeville partner*Ruby Keeler as Peggy Sawyer, the newcomer*Guy Kibbee as Abner Dillon, the show's backer...
(1933), in which wiseguy Stone assesses a promiscuous chorus girl: "She only said no once, and then she didn't hear the question!" His one starring film (as George E. Stone) was Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
' gangster comedy The Big Brain.
In 1939 comedy producer Hal Roach
Hal Roach
Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
hired Stone for his film The Housekeeper's Daughter
The Housekeeper's Daughter
The Housekeeper's Daughter is a 1939 comedy film directed and produced by Hal Roach. The film stars by Joan Bennett, Adolphe Menjou and John Hubbard...
. It was a difficult role: Stone had to play a mentally retarded murderer in a sweet, sympathetic manner. Stone went clean-shaven, emphasizing a boyish, innocent look, and played the part so sensitively that Roach often cast him in other films. In 1942 Stone burlesqued Hirohito
Hirohito
, posthumously in Japan officially called Emperor Shōwa or , was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death in 1989. Although better known outside of Japan by his personal name Hirohito, in Japan he is now referred to...
in Roach's wartime comedy The Devil with Hitler
The Devil with Hitler
The Devil with Hitler is a 1942 comedy short propaganda film that was one of Hal Roach's Streamliners. When the board of directors of Hell want Adolf Hitler to take charge, the Devil tries to save his job by making the German dictator perform a good deed....
.
George E. Stone's most familiar role was "The Runt," loyal sidekick to adventurous ex-criminal Boston Blackie
Boston Blackie
Boston Blackie is a fictional character created by author Jack Boyle . Originally a jewel thief and safecracker in Boyle's novels, he became a detective in adaptations for films, radio and television—an "enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend."-Literature:Jack...
in Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
' action-comedies. Stone was supposed to co-star with Chester Morris
Chester Morris
Chester Morris was an American actor, who starred in the Boston Blackie detective series of the 1940s.-Career:...
in the first film of the series, Meet Boston Blackie
Meet Boston Blackie
Meet Boston Blackie is a 1941 crime film starring Chester Morris as Boston Blackie, a notorious, but honorable jewel thief. Although the character had been the hero of a number of silent films, this was the first talking picture...
, but was sidelined by a virus. Actor Charles Wagenheim filled in for him, and Stone joined the series in the second entry, Confessions of Boston Blackie
Confessions of Boston Blackie
Confessions of Boston Blackie is a 1941 American crime film directed by Edward Dmytryk.-Cast:* Chester Morris as Boston Blackie* Harriet Hilliard as Diane Parrish* Richard Lane as Inspector Farraday* George E...
. Stone's performances in the Blackies were well received, and he enthusiastically played scenes for laughs (doing dialects, disguising in women's clothes, posing as a child, or reacting in wide-eyed amazement or frustration to each story's twists and turns). Both Chester Morris and George E. Stone reprised their screen roles for one year in the Boston Blackie radio series.
In the 1942 film Little Tokyo, U.S.A.
Little Tokyo, U.S.A.
Little Tokyo, U.S.A. is an American film, produced during World War II, that was condemned by United States Office of War Information as an "invitation to the Witch Hunt", preaching hate for all people of Japanese descent.-Plot:...
he played the Japanese agent, Kingoro.
Even in his smallest roles, Stone made an impression. In the 1945 newspaper-themed feature Midnight Manhunt
Midnight Manhunt
Midnight Manhunt is a 1945 crime film mystery directed by William C. Thomas and written by David Lang. The film premiered on July 24, 1945 and is in the public domain.The film stars William Gargan, Ann Savage, Leo Gorcey and George Zucco.-Plot summary:...
, he plays a murder victim who doesn't say a word but expires eloquently. Another tiny role has Stone contributing to the perennial holiday favorite Miracle on 34th Street
Miracle on 34th Street
Miracle on 34th Street is a 1947 Christmas film written by George Seaton from a story by Valentine Davies, directed by George Seaton and starring Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn...
-- but not in the film. He appears in the coming-attractions trailer, as an openly cynical screenwriter confronted by a bossy movie producer.
George E. Stone made guest appearances in movies and television through the 1950s, in situation comedies (Burns and Allen
Burns and Allen
Burns and Allen, an American comedy duo consisting of George Burns and his wife, Gracie Allen, worked together as a comedy team in vaudeville, films, radio and television and achieved great success over four decades.-Vaudeville:...
) and action-adventure shows (Adventures of Superman
Adventures of Superman (TV series)
Adventures of Superman is an American television series based on comic book characters and concepts created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The show is the first television series to feature Superman and began filming in 1951 in California...
, as mob leader "Big George"). When it came to playing tough guys, Stone could be just as convincing as the biggest, brawniest men. In the feature film The Man with the Golden Arm
The Man with the Golden Arm
The Man with the Golden Arm is a 1955 American drama film, based on the novel of the same name by Nelson Algren, which tells the story of a heroin addict who gets clean while in prison, but struggles to stay that way in the outside world. It stars Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker, Kim Novak, Arnold...
, Stone is the vindictive mobster who has been cheated at cards, and attacks dealer Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
in a brutal fistfight.
Stone's vision deteriorated in the late 1950s, limiting him to walk-on roles or undemanding character parts. He plays nervous stool pigeon "Toothpick Charlie" in Billy Wilder's comedy hit Some Like It Hot
Some Like It Hot
Some Like It Hot is an American comedy film, made in 1958 and released in 1959, which was directed by Billy Wilder and starred Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and George Raft. The supporting cast includes Joe E. Brown, Pat O'Brien and Nehemiah Persoff. The film is a remake by Wilder and I....
, and became a TV regular in the popular Perry Mason
Perry Mason (TV series)
Perry Mason is an American legal drama produced by Paisano Productions that ran from September 1957 to May 1966 on CBS. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a fictional Los Angeles defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner...
series, in the minor role of court clerk.
One of Stone's closest friends was reporter-humorist Damon Runyon
Damon Runyon
Alfred Damon Runyon was an American newspaperman and writer.He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. To New Yorkers of his generation, a "Damon Runyon character" evoked a distinctive social type from the...
. Stone often appeared in movie adaptations of Runyon's work; his last film, Pocketful of Miracles
Pocketful of Miracles
Pocketful of Miracles is a 1961 American comedy film that stars Bette Davis and Glenn Ford, directed by Frank Capra. The screenplay by Hal Kanter and Harry Tugend is based on the screenplay Lady for a Day by Robert Riskin, which was adapted from the Damon Runyon short story "Madame La Gimp".The...
(1961), cast Stone as a blind beggar.
For his contributions to motion pictures, Stone received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
.